Mothers Call for Release of Hikers Detained by Iran

Cindy Hickey is holding a picture of her son,
Shane Bauer, in her rural home in Pine City, Minnesota, 22 Sep 2009

Two mothers of U.S. citizens detained in Iran for
more than two months have called on Iranian authorities to release them.

In an interview with VOA Persian News Network, the mothers apologized that their
children, Shane Bauer and Sarah Shourd, along with Joshua Fattal, crossed into
Iran in late July while hiking in northern Iraq's Kurdistan region. The three
were then detained.

The mothers said the hikers did not intend to enter Iran, saying they strayed
into the country at an unmarked border crossing.

Shane Bauer's mother Cindy Hickey said she is anxious to see Iran's president,
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, follow through on his remarks that he would ask Iran's
courts to expedite the case and look at it with "maximum leniency."

Sarah Shourd's mother Nora Shourd asked Iranian
officials to consider the three detained Americans "good people in the world,"
and to give them "compassion and consideration."

Shane Bauer, Sarah Shourd
and Josh Fatta

The three U.S. hikers were visited by the Swiss
ambassador to Iran late last month but have not had contact with their families.

Switzerland represents U.S. interests in Tehran because the United States has no
formal diplomatic relations with Iran.

Their children in Iran, 3 U.S. moms swing into action(CNN) -- Laura Fattal rolls a piece of
Scotch tape, attaching a picture of her son and his two friends to a
cardboard box. Her calm demeanor doesn't give away the gravity of the
situation and the reason why she's in a New York hotel room with two
other mothers. Laura, Nora Shourd and Cindy Hickey have been brought
together because their children have been held in Iran since July 31.
They have had no contact with their families.